This practice-based project explores the role of narrative structure within the cinematic category of short film. A moving image text entitled The Deserter has been created that portrays the nostalgic homecoming of a soldier after deserting the army. The film experiments with time and space through employing the use of non-chronological flashback structure to combine multiple story threads. This paper aims to provide an insight into the complex short film process covering various stages of the production pipeline through discussions into the methodological, theoretical and technical aspects of the project. It examines the dramaturgical methodology of The RSVP Cycles and its application to a moving image project. It looks at narrative structure within the film and the digital manipulation of mise-en-scène elements within the frame to visually communicate the complex story. It also provides explanations into the various special and visual effects used throughout the film and the processes involved in their creation.